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Advice on spaying a 2-3 year old bunny please.

Sammy&Patch

Sammy&Patch

Warren Scout
I am taking on a rescue bunny soon, a female approx. 2-3 years old. I should be getting her the end of this month/beginning December. She has not been spayed. I have asked the rescue about spaying her before she comes to me (at my cost), partly while I wait to get her and partly as I thought if they are already used to her at the rescue, it might be less stressful for her to have it done there. They said they don't normally neuter the bunnies unless their vet has said it needs doing for health reasons but they can certainly discuss it and get back to me. She did mention something about weighing up the pros and cons. I assume she meant due to her being a bit older the risks would be greater than if she had been done when she was young. If they decide not to do it I will still take her to my own vet for her advice as well. I think the bunny is in good health but I assume she would be checked first to see if they think she is healthy enough.

I just wondered what peoples experiences / opinions were. I just assumed from what I had read in the past about the high risk of cancer and other urinary tract problems that it would be something to definitely go ahead with, as long as the bunny was in good health. However, I don't know what sort of risk there is for a healthy bunny of 2-3 years being spayed compared to the risks from not doing it. I have had 3 bunnies in my adult life, my female was spayed when she was young, no problems. I had a male about 2 years of age neutered, also no problems. But when he died I was going to rehome a bunny from rescue, he was 4 years old in good condition, and the rescue were doing it for me but he sadly died in the operation. I then got a different male from rescue who had already been neutered.

I will only be going ahead with the neutering if they agree it is a good idea at the rescue, or if they won't do it, after getting advice from my own vet who is very knowledgeable with rabbits. But in the mean time I thought getting some advice on here gives me time to think more about it. I thought it was just simple, that I should definitely get her done!
 
Sammy&Patch said:
I am taking on a rescue bunny soon, a female approx. 2-3 years old. I should be getting her the end of this month/beginning December. She has not been spayed. I have asked the rescue about spaying her before she comes to me (at my cost), partly while I wait to get her and partly as I thought if they are already used to her at the rescue, it might be less stressful for her to have it done there. They said they don't normally neuter the bunnies unless their vet has said it needs doing for health reasons but they can certainly discuss it and get back to me. She did mention something about weighing up the pros and cons. I assume she meant due to her being a bit older the risks would be greater than if she had been done when she was young. If they decide not to do it I will still take her to my own vet for her advice as well. I think the bunny is in good health but I assume she would be checked first to see if they think she is healthy enough.

I just wondered what peoples experiences / opinions were. I just assumed from what I had read in the past about the high risk of cancer and other urinary tract problems that it would be something to definitely go ahead with, as long as the bunny was in good health. However, I don't know what sort of risk there is for a healthy bunny of 2-3 years being spayed compared to the risks from not doing it. I have had 3 bunnies in my adult life, my female was spayed when she was young, no problems. I had a male about 2 years of age neutered, also no problems. But when he died I was going to rehome a bunny from rescue, he was 4 years old in good condition, and the rescue were doing it for me but he sadly died in the operation. I then got a different male from rescue who had already been neutered.

I will only be going ahead with the neutering if they agree it is a good idea at the rescue, or if they won't do it, after getting advice from my own vet who is very knowledgeable with rabbits. But in the mean time I thought getting some advice on here gives me time to think more about it. I thought it was just simple, that I should definitely get her done!
Click to expand...

2-3 is not too old to spay. The risks of her developing Uterine Adenocarcinoma are far greater than the risks of a spay carried out by a Rabbit Savvy Vet.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
2-3 is not too old to spay. The risks of her developing Uterine Adenocarcinoma are far greater than the risks of a spay carried out by a Rabbit Savvy Vet.
Click to expand...

I agree with JJ. And I’m surprised at the rescue’s stance on this, it is normal for a reputable rescue to spay and neuter all rabbits, and vaccinate them too.
 
thanks for the quick replies, the girl I spoke to was going to speak to someone higher up so it may well be they say they would do it or they may have advised me to have it done when I rehome her if I hadn't asked anyway. They were the ones who neutered the bunny for me years ago that sadly died, and they were happy to do it then as he was to be bonded with my female. I don't think they routinely do it for bunnies coming in, it's the SSPCA if you have heard of them, I don't think they get funding like the RSPCA get so maybe that's why they don't routinely do it.
 
I have had about 30 females spayed and only 1 had a problem whereby they had to use a different anaesthetic and she took an awful long time to come round. All the others have recovered at different lengths of time, some very quickly and some slower, but all have made a full recovery. One of these was a 6 yr old. I would prefer to have the rabbit spayed and recover in my home rather than at a Rescue, so she can be kept warm etc for the first few days. Unfortunately I do read of a few rabbits which don't survive a spay for various reasons and it is something which you have to be aware of.
 
tonibun said:
I have had about 30 females spayed and only 1 had a problem whereby they had to use a different anaesthetic and she took an awful long time to come round. All the others have recovered at different lengths of time, some very quickly and some slower, but all have made a full recovery. One of these was a 6 yr old. I would prefer to have the rabbit spayed and recover in my home rather than at a Rescue, so she can be kept warm etc for the first few days. Unfortunately I do read of a few rabbits which don't survive a spay for various reasons and it is something which you have to be aware of.
Click to expand...


Thanks, that sounds like good odds then! I only thought it might be better to have her done already before she comes to me as the rescue know know her as she has been in there a while waiting for her forever home. So I thought she would be less stressed than coming to me and then being done soon after settling in. I could let her settle first and then have it done, I just thought the sooner the better might be the best option. I will see what they say when they phone me back and take it from there but it sounds like she definitely needs to be spayed anyway.
 
Agree with all of the above.
She is young. The risks with the operation are small. The risk of developing something nasty if not spayed is significant. I would not hesitate to neuter.
It would be probably better all round if she could be done before she comes to you, but only with a vet that is used to doing rabbit spays and where you are confident that suitable indoor aftercare is available. If they have no experience of looking after a rabbit post-spay, you may be better placed to look after her.
 
I posted a picture on this forum of uterine tumors removed from an female I did not have spayed. She needed an emergency operation when she was already very ill, when she was 3 times older than your bunny. My vet is very skilled so she survived after a longer than usual recovery.
My current girls are spayed since both were healthy enough for surgery. My Heidi had it done age 2.5.
 
bunny momma said:
I posted a picture on this forum of uterine tumors removed from an female I did not have spayed. She needed an emergency operation when she was already very ill, when she was 3 times older than your bunny. My vet is very skilled so she survived after a longer than usual recovery.
My current girls are spayed since both were healthy enough for surgery. My Heidi had it done age 2.5.
Click to expand...


Poor thing :-( I'm glad you had a skilled vet. I am definitely going to get her done!
 
Shimmer said:
Agree with all of the above.
She is young. The risks with the operation are small. The risk of developing something nasty if not spayed is significant. I would not hesitate to neuter.
It would be probably better all round if she could be done before she comes to you, but only with a vet that is used to doing rabbit spays and where you are confident that suitable indoor aftercare is available. If they have no experience of looking after a rabbit post-spay, you may be better placed to look after her.
Click to expand...

I don't know the rescue branch as she is being transferred through to my local branch from there, I assume they know what they are doing and have a good vet, they are meant to be phoning me back tomorrow so I will see what they say. If they agree to do it but I am not confident in anythign they say, I might just say I changed my mind and will get her done myself when I get her. My vet is brilliant with bunnies so I would trust her to do the operation if I am concerned about them doing it. I think I will have to play it by ear but I will definitely be going ahead one way or the other!
 
Update

The rescue phoned on wednesday to say they spoke to the vet and they can spay her at the beginning of December for me and then they would transfer her to my local branch after that but, but they had someone who was unexpectedly travelling from near their branch to my local branch on Thursday so I decided to go ahead and get her sooner. (The transfer was about 2 hours but they agreed to do it as she had been waiting a while for a home). She was a bit scared when we got her home but she soon started exploring her room. Today she has been running around, doing a few binkys and sitting beside me and my partner for lots of strokes, I was so surprised! I haven't tried to pick her up but my old bunnies loved attention next to me on the floor rather than being picked up. I have registered her at my local vets and I am going to let her settle a bit then get her spayed. Then hopefully find her a friend :)
 
Sammy&Patch said:
The rescue phoned on wednesday to say they spoke to the vet and they can spay her at the beginning of December for me and then they would transfer her to my local branch after that but, but they had someone who was unexpectedly travelling from near their branch to my local branch on Thursday so I decided to go ahead and get her sooner. (The transfer was about 2 hours but they agreed to do it as she had been waiting a while for a home). She was a bit scared when we got her home but she soon started exploring her room. Today she has been running around, doing a few binkys and sitting beside me and my partner for lots of strokes, I was so surprised! I haven't tried to pick her up but my old bunnies loved attention next to me on the floor rather than being picked up. I have registered her at my local vets and I am going to let her settle a bit then get her spayed. Then hopefully find her a friend :)
Click to expand...

I hope all goes well with the spay :)
 
I am happy you have decided to spay, my Maple was spayed at around 4 years old and came home and was absolutely fine..However they did find tumors which they removed during the spay. :)

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
 
Hazel is booked in for her spay on the 10th December :) She has settled in very well, she has been peeing everywhere so I am hoping that stops after she has been spayed, fingers crossed! She has been up to mischief. My other bunnies never went down stairs, all 3 of the bunnies I have had over the years had a strange fear of the stairs, they would occasionally creep towards the top step, tail down, and then run off again. So I had a natural barrier without needing a stairgate, very handy! But Hazel has been running up and down the stairs so I have ordered a new stair gate as I can't leave her unsupervised downstairs. She is a very brave, adventurous bunny!

Does anyone have any particular tips for her aftercare after the operation? I have read general advice, just wondering if anyone has anything specific I should do or watch out for etc. I am getting a bit nervous about it!
 
I am glad she is enjoying her new home.
After spay vet should send her home with pain meds for you to give later or next day.
Others on ru can offer morr suggestions.
 
Sammy&Patch said:
Hazel is booked in for her spay on the 10th December :) She has settled in very well, she has been peeing everywhere so I am hoping that stops after she has been spayed, fingers crossed! She has been up to mischief. My other bunnies never went down stairs, all 3 of the bunnies I have had over the years had a strange fear of the stairs, they would occasionally creep towards the top step, tail down, and then run off again. So I had a natural barrier without needing a stairgate, very handy! But Hazel has been running up and down the stairs so I have ordered a new stair gate as I can't leave her unsupervised downstairs. She is a very brave, adventurous bunny!

Does anyone have any particular tips for her aftercare after the operation? I have read general advice, just wondering if anyone has anything specific I should do or watch out for etc. I am getting a bit nervous about it!
Click to expand...

The Vet should provide a full print out of detailed post op' care. As Bunny Momma says, pain relief is an essential. It is usually needed for a few days after a spay, which is after all no different from a hysterectomy in a woman. No woman would expect not to have good analgesic cover for a considerable time after such surgery.

The Vet should not discharge Hazel until she has started to nibble food for herself and has passed some poo and wee. Sometimes it may be necessary for the Doe to be prescribed prokinetic meds (gut motility meds) to be given for a few days after surgery, as well as the analgesia.

Hazel may require some syringe feeds if she is hardly eating anything for herself, but usually if ongoing good analgesia is provided this is not necessary. It is essential to monitor input and output carefully as post surgical gut stasis is the most common complication after abdominal surgery. That is not to say it's inevitable, just something to be mindful of.

Hazel will need to be kept confined to a cage for 7 days and prevented from jumping up onto anything. She can have short periods of gentle hopping about each day, this will help her gut motility. But no manic charging about !!

The Vet should book Hazel in for a post op' check 2-3 days after surgery. You will need to check the surgical wound at least twice a day. It should be clean and dry. The skin may be a bit red right next to the incision, but not 'angry' looking, hot to touch, lumpy or damp (from a weeping wound). External sutures are seldom used by Rabbit Savvy Vets when closing a spay incision

pQhErvl.jpg


It is best to use towels or vetbed for bedding rather than hay/straw.

These links may be useful to take a look at :

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/neutering/

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/pain-management-rabbits/

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00...Indiv_TechniquesRabbit/Ovariohysterectomy.htm
 
Jack's-Jane said:
The Vet should provide a full print out of detailed post op' care. As Bunny Momma says, pain relief is an essential. It is usually needed for a few days after a spay, which is after all no different from a hysterectomy in a woman. No woman would expect not to have good analgesic cover for a considerable time after such surgery.

The Vet should not discharge Hazel until she has started to nibble food for herself and has passed some poo and wee. Sometimes it may be necessary for the Doe to be prescribed prokinetic meds (gut motility meds) to be given for a few days after surgery, as well as the analgesia.

Hazel may require some syringe feeds if she is hardly eating anything for herself, but usually if ongoing good analgesia is provided this is not necessary. It is essential to monitor input and output carefully as post surgical gut stasis is the most common complication after abdominal surgery. That is not to say it's inevitable, just something to be mindful of.

Hazel will need to be kept confined to a cage for 7 days and prevented from jumping up onto anything. She can have short periods of gentle hopping about each day, this will help her gut motility. But no manic charging about !!

The Vet should book Hazel in for a post op' check 2-3 days after surgery. You will need to check the surgical wound at least twice a day. It should be clean and dry. The skin may be a bit red right next to the incision, but not 'angry' looking, hot to touch, lumpy or damp (from a weeping wound). External sutures are seldom used by Rabbit Savvy Vets when closing a spay incision


pQhErvl.jpg


It is best to use towels or vetbed for bedding rather than hay/straw.

These links may be useful to take a look at :

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/neutering/

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/pain-management-rabbits/

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00...Indiv_TechniquesRabbit/Ovariohysterectomy.htm
Click to expand...

Thankyou that is very useful advice, I appreciate it :) I hadn't heard of vetbed, I found this on amazon called vet fleece
"Vetfleece RSPCA Non-Slip Pet Bedding - Suitable for Whelping Dogs Cats Hamsters Guinea-Pigs and other small mammals– 40” x 30” (1.00m x 0.75m)"
Is this the sort of thing I should get for her?
As to hutch rest I was going to put gating around the hutch blocking off the rest of her room but leaving some space outside her hutch for her to move around but with no access to anything she can jump up on. Maybe 1.5m x 1m space outside hutch. But from your reply I think you mean she needs to be completely shut in the hutch with just short sessions out of it?
Is it ok to put a shallow litter tray in for her (not the deep one she would normally jump into) or should litter trays be avoided? I have one that is about 1.5"-2" high.
Sorry for all the questions, I want to be organised in advance and make sure I do it right!
 
I usually make sure all is clean and quiet for when they come home, with some grass if possible as this is what they will eat more than anything although it may be during the night or early morning before she feels like anything. I normally give a low litter tray just with newspaper in the bottom and keep her restricted for a few days unless she seems very bright and she can move about in the room in this case. A lot of rabbits newly spayed wear a vest to stop them from pulling the stitches out. The Vet might suggest this, some rabbits are very good but some do pull their stitches out.
 
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